A window into the Canadian experience during the world wars

Taxation

With the realization that Canada would face unprecedented spending demands, greater even than those faced in the First World War, one bank provided a sober analysis of the problem of growing war debt as it looked early in the Second World War.

This address by G.S. Thorvaldson contrasted wartime, when taxation was a "patriotic duty," and peacetime, when it became "an economic and social problem." He made the case that big corporations stood to gain the most in both contexts.

Originally presented as a temporary wartime measure, the Income War Tax Act of 1917 was viewed as a controversial measure at the time. This digest, offered by R. Easton Burns, a certified accountant, goes through the act clause-by-clause to discuss its full impact on Canadians.

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Wartime Canada is constantly expanding its collections, and would be grateful for the donation or loan of any materials that can be scanned and added to the website. Please feel free to contact either of the project co-directors, Jonathan F. Vance or Graham Broad.